Megaman Battle Network X
by TheSoundDefense
Summary: Humans are extinct. War and Zero have torn the Cyberworld apart. X, a Navi past his prime, may be the only hope to saving this postapocalyptic world. This story will eventually be included in New Megaman Battle Network and has stopped updating on its own.
1. Prologue

Megaman Battle Network X

Prologue

_My name is X._

_It has been nearly ten years since life was considered normal on this planet. Once upon a time, I was a better Navi, and we lived entirely on the Net, coexisting happily with our human creators in the real world. Ever since the merging of the real world and the Cyberworld, however, nothing has ever been the same._

_Humans have been extinct for nearly five years, and what is remaining of the NetNavi civilization is bitter and war-torn. Zero, the evil, superpowered Navi that caused all this terror, still rampages through this world of destruction, causing havoc at every turn. What forces that resist him are powerless to stop him._

_There are tales of the catalyst being a mystic being, the Chronologist, that has the power to control time, or whatever time may consist of in this cybernetic environment. He is an intriguing legend, and his ability to control time fills some with hope...but it is a legend, nothing more...there is no hope these days._

_Anyone that I may have considered a friend is long past. My regular Navi friends, Gutsman, Glide, Iceman, and the like, all fell prey to Zero, or one of his secret assassins. Protoman led a resistance force against him, and put up a good fight, but was eventually defeated as well. Roll...nobody knows what happened to Roll._

_My operator, Lan...he was one of the last humans to go. He hid with me, and his family, for several years, but he soon was exterminated...hunted down and killed by Zero himself. In my attempts to save him, I was badly damaged...what's left of me is contained in this body. I have lost my family, and my body, and my name...X is all that is left._

_My name is X._

_This is my story._


	2. Chapter 1: Alliance

Megaman Battle Network X

Chapter 1: Alliance

X walked his way through the desolate wasteland once called a city. Everywhere he looked, buildings, streetlamps, mailboxes were destroyed or crumbling. Navis would hide in the alleys, sometimes forming ghettos, perhaps just looking for shelter, sometimes robbing passersby of what currency they had. He paid them no heed. There was nothing he could do to change this; he had tried fighting before, and it had led to nothing but pain. There was no point. There would be no change.

He spotted his destination at the end of the street; a small, half-broken building that, despite the terror that went on around it, still remained bustling with life, noise, and sometimes music. It was also the only place a Navi could replenish himself, which was X's goal at the time. He walked forward toward his goal, a wind blowing and ruffling the cloak he wore around his body at all times. He paid no heed to those who attempted to accost him for energy, or money. His eyes stayed straightforward until he entered the doors of the saloon.

Inside, there was music playing, Navis laughing and having a good time, determined to keep a good life in the midst of desolation. X cared little for this; he sat at a nearby table, and ordered his usual. He soon received it, and began to eat. Halfway through, he noticed an odd, entirely cloaked figure staring at him from the opposite end of the table. X put down his meal.

"Can I help you?" he asked sarcastically. The cloaked figure grinned.

"You...you are an interesting one indeed," he deduced. X ignored him and continued to eat. The figure continued to stare. "You were once a great warrior..."

This caught X's attention; he again stopped eating and looked at the cloaked man, who continued. "You don't fight anymore...why give up the fight?"

X grabbed his food once again. "You've clearly mistaken me for someone else. Get out of here." He finished his food and stood up, ready to leave. The cloaked old man grinned.

"Have it your way..." He then pulled out a blaster and fired it at a strong fellow at a nearby table, making a small but loud explosion. X stared at the cloaked man, agape, then at the blasted, now extremely angry Navi who was advancing toward X's table. X raised his hands.

"Hey, you don't want me, you want..." He started to point toward the cloaked figure, but he was nowhere to be found; X looked around the entire bar, but there was no trace of him, and he had more pressing issues at hand, namely a large angry Navi advancing toward him.

"You looking for trouble, you idiot punk!" he cried as he reached out to grab X; X ducked, and punched the Navi squarely in the gut. The Navi keeled over briefly before picking up another Navi nearby and tossing it at X. This move set off all pandemonium in the establishment, and four Navis went after X, not at all happy with the disruption he apparently caused. They all took out blasters and started firing; X jumped in the air, dodging them all and landing on one of the Navis. He picked the Navi up, and tossed it at two others, taking them both down. The fourth Navi reached for the PET attached to his hip, activating his Sword, but before he could get it out proper, X has his Buster at the Navi's throat. A kick to the stomach knocked the Navi out cold, and X picked up and finished the rest of his meal before walking out of the now havoc-ridden bar.

----------

"Not a warrior, you say?" X heard a familiar voice as he exited; he immediately turned to his left to find the cloaked man cackling maniacally on a nearby bench; X stormed over and aimed his Buster at his head.

"What the hell were you trying to prove in there, you psycho!" X demanded. The cloaked figure didn't flinch, still grinning like a crazy man.

"You never answered my question...why give up the fight?"

X hesitated for a minute, then put his Buster away, looking off. "There was nothing left to fight for," he said with an air of finality, and he started to walk off. The cloaked Navi spoke again, the insanity in his voice now gone.

"Some would disagree..." X turned, mildly interested. "What if I told you you could help stop the destruction around you? You could perhaps even undo it...if I showed you how."

X was not amused. "I'd call you an idiot and walk away."

The cloaked figure stood. "Then I guess I'll have to show you..." He started to walk away. "Follow me if you want."

X watched him walk away, pondering. After a minute, he started to follow him, though unsure why. After a minute, the cloaked figure piped up.

"What is your name?"

X looked away again. "X."

"X? That is all?"

"Yes..." X closed his eyes. "X is all."

The cloaked figure grinned crazily. "You can call me Y!" He cackled incessantly, causing X to question once again why he was following this quack.

----------

After approximately twenty minutes, the two approached a small cave in a cliffside. X was intrigued; there wasn't much notable geography left on the planet. They entered the cave, and after a few minutes of walking, it opened into a large complex. X looked around in wonder; a giant wall of video screens comprised the left side of the area, while walkways and various doors covered the right. The center was filled with various computer stations and working Navis; some were clearly made for battle, while others seemed to work on the technical side of whatever was going on here. Upon their entry, everyone looked up and ran toward the cloaked figure.

"Welcome back, Ezekiel!" said one, a large fellow shaped like a heavyweight wrestler, but with electric bolts covering his face and body.

"Did you accomplish your mission, Ezekiel?" asked another, generic Navi, clearly not on the battle side of the operation. The cloaked figure nodded in response, turning toward X.

"Yes...I have found him." Instantly, X was swarmed by the Navis of the complex, as they looked him over, muttering to themselves. The small one who talked to Ezekiel tried looking under X's cloak, and X immediately stepped back.

"Hey! Back off, don't get close. I never said I'd join this group of wannabes in the first place." Everyone got much quieter, though the muttering continued to one another. X turned to Ezekiel. "What is this?"

"This is our operation..." Ezekiel gestured toward the monitors, which were watching countless areas of the city, and other locations all over the world. "We are committed to the eradication of Zero and his followers, and the restoration of order to the society of the world. We have been able to largely stop his followers from being too destructive, and stopped some of his attempts to gain more power...we may not be flawless, but we do what we can."

The screens then united to show a video of this group fighting several of Zero's warriors to victory. "Until now, that is all we could do...we have never been able to stop Zero himself, he is much too powerful." Ezekiel turned back toward X. "You...I sense potential in you. With your help, we may be able to ward him off...maybe someday even defeat him."

Another Navi, a younger one at the back of the small crowd, chimed in. "We've been able to stop him from obtaining the Powersphere so far..."

X's eyes darted right at him, and he walked forward. "You idiots actually believe in that pathetic fairy tale? Believe that a magic sphere exists that can grant wishes or some such?"

The young upstart defended himself. "It's no legend! We have proof that he was after it...and he may even be in contact with the Chronologist!"

X immediately turned around. "Forget it." He started to walk out of the base. "What use would I have joining a crackpot organization of rebels who believe in fairy tales and think they can restore order in this chaos..." Several Navis started to walk after them, but Ezekiel stopped them.

"Do not worry," he said as X left the cave. "He will come around..."

----------

X walked his way back to what was left of his residence. A half-destroyed house, serving no purpose but as a place to lay his head at night. He looked around as he always did, at burnt pictures and destroyed walls, too far gone to remind him of days of old. He had thrown his past away, mere memories that were useless to him now. As he wandered into one room, he found himself face-to-face with approximately twenty black-and-red Navis, each bearing the symbol of a Z on their heads - Zero's mark.

"Oh ho!" one said, as X took a defensive stance. "So someone lives here after all...or should I say, they did!" Each Navi tapped PETs on their hips to draw Swords or Busters, and rushed forward to attack. X quickly dived out of the way, taking out his own Buster and firing at them; they were minimally injured, being much stronger than normal Navis. They turned and dived at X, who jumped backwards out of the house as there was no wall behind him. The followers followed after him, and X took out his Long Sword and started swordfighting with the lot.

A blaster hit him in the side, and he whirled around to accost his attacker, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one Navi was still rifling through the room, and had his hands wrapped around a blue bandanna, with a black-and-red Navi symbol in the middle. Suddenly enraged, X jumped and used another Navi as a stepping stone to leap back into the house, thrusting his Long Sword through the looter's chest. He then ripped it violently upward through his body, and grabbed the bandanna away before jumping back out of the house. The Navi exploded violently, destroying what was left of X's domicile in one fell swoop.

X stared at the remains of his house, but was brought back to Earth by a swordswipe from the side that connected. X grabbed his side and fell, and the followers closed in, ready to delete him, when one was picked up and violently hurled at the others, who fell like bowling pins. X got up to see the strong electric Navi from before, who was grinning.

"Saw it on our screens!" he said as he took a defensive stance. "Thought you could use a little help!" He ran forward and started attacking again, and was joined by several more powerful Navis. X watched as the battle went on, holding the bandanna in his hand and looking at the ruined remains of his domicile...his home...

After a minute, X tied the bandanna around his arm, and rushed headfirst into battle with the other Navis. Swinging his Long Sword with the strategy of battle he thought was lost, he made short order of several of the attackers. Suffering heavy losses, the remaining Navis fled, and the group celebrated their victory, the larger electric Navi clapping X on the shoulder.

"You've got some skills with that sword!" he laughed heartily. "With you on our side we could be unstoppable!" X backed away from his touch, and bumped into someone from behind; whirling around, he found it to be Ezekiel, who grinned his trademark grin.

"It seems the fighter has found something to fight for," he said, noting the bandanna around X's arm; X nodded slowly, hesitantly. "We're fighting for something too...perhaps we could fight together after all?"

X stared at the bandanna around his arm thoughtfully, for a long time, before nodding slowly. "Perhaps we could..." Ezekiel grinned and called the troops back to base, and off they went, cheering over their victory. X followed behind, wondering exactly what he had gotten himself into, but for the first time in a long time, thinking that he was doing the right thing.


	3. Chapter 2: Encounter

Megaman Battle Network X

Chapter 2: Encounter

_The Navi ran, faster than he ever thought he could. In front of him were his operator, and his operator's family...the Navi's family..._

_"Keep running!" the Navi yelled. "We may be able to take cover somewhere!" He looked around for someplace to hide before the other Navis could see him, but there was nowhere..._

_In front of them, they could see the dead end. The family stopped, and turned to see the horde of enemy Navis running toward them. They were hopelessly outnumbered, there was no way the Navi could defeat all of them...unless..._

_"Lan!" the Navi cried. "Give me a Dark Cannon!"_

_"A DarkChip!" the operator protested. "But that..."_

_"That's the only way to save us all!" the Navi responded. "We're out of options! Give me the DarkChip!"_

_The operator nodded slowly, and he hesitantly inserted a Dark Cannon into the PET, as his parents watched nervously. Instantly, the Navi was seized with an incredible power...and an overwhelming urge to destroy...destroy absolutely. He watched the oncoming Navis, grinning evilly, before lifting his Dark Cannon and firing..._

X was brought back to reality with a start, as the sound of loud, mechanical snoring suddenly started in the other room. He looked at the clock: 2:14 am. He got up and walked out of his sleeping quarters, and out of the base.

X had never rested well; he had been plagued with memories and nightmares for as long as he could remember. Memories of battle, of horrors witnessed, but worst were the memories of better times, taunting him mercilessly. He walked on, trying to work himself into sleep, with little success. He looked around; nothing was moving, save one building far in the distance that bustled with life. X ignored it and continued on, now having a destination in mind.

He had been with the group for close to three weeks now, and was growing steadily frustrated with progress. They had rescued thirty-odd Navis and fought off countless Zero supporters, but to apparently no avail. They had made no progress toward any of their long-term goals, or even met Zero himself in the flesh. Had X had his own agenda worth pursuing, he would have quit this group long ago, but he had grown even more tired of doing nothing. So he trudged on.

After some time of walking, he reached his goal; the destroyed remains of his old home. The explosion that took it took it well, and there was but a single remnant of a single wall that was left standing. He stared at the charred ground below for what seemed like an hour, unable to tear himself away. Eventually, sick to his stomach, he turned away and started to return to the base. He felt himself grow dull inside, with realization.

From nowhere, and without warning, a blaster blast landed at his feet. He jumped, whipping out his Buster and pointing it around him; initially, he saw nothing, but mere moments later, a dozen black Navis, all branded with the Zero insignia, came from above, landing in a circle around him. X looked around to find himself surrounded.

"We were told we would find you here...now die!" one shouted, and all twelve rushed forward, attacking at once. X jumped straight in the air, firing his Buster from above and damaging a couple Navis before he came down. He brandished his Long Sword and began carefully striking at the Navis; as they would attack with their various Machine Guns or Energy Bombs, X was able to dodge and get in smaller strikes, but nothing worth doing any damage.

"HQ! Come in!" he yelled into a communicator on his wrist, as he barely avoided a Shotgun blast. "I'm under attack! I need backup! Come in!" He heard no response from the other end, as he furiously swung his sword and fired his Buster in a rage...

----------

_The Navi, mentally exhausted and physically damaged, slumped as he grabbed his ruined arm. The decimated remains of hundreds of enemy Navis lay before him, fallen to the awesome powers of the darkness. His family was huddled behind them, in fear of the horror they just witnessed, as the Navi fell to his knees, partly glad to be alive, partly disgusted with himself for what he had done. Ahead, off in the distance, they could hear a soft clapping noise, with approaching footsteps._

_"Quite a show...I always love watching the release of such incredible dark powers, it's so destructive," the voice said; as the footsteps approached, the figure they belonged to slowly became visible. The red and white armor, the green sword on his left arm, the long blonde hair that fell behind him: Zero. The Navi struggled to get up._

_"I'm afraid, however, that this is the end of the line for you and your precious family," Zero continued, as the Navi got to his feet. "Your meddling has gotten in my way for long enough...now you must be eliminated." He brandished his sword, as the Navi's operator sent him a Long Sword to use, and the two Navis dashed into battle..._

X continued swiping at his enemies, with mild success; two had been felled so far, but he was starting to lose his energy, and his enemies knew it. They were advancing on him, their attacks getting larger and harder to dodge. X cursed loudly at his communicator. "Why isn't anyone answering!" he cried aloud.

"They're not answering," a mysterious voice replied, "because I made sure they would not."

In an instant, the enemy Navis stopped moving, all turning to face something behind and to the right of X. X wheeled around to see who the voice belonged to, and his eyes grew wide with shock, as the footsteps of an all-too familiar Navi approached.

"Zero..." X said, filling with anger. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zero grinned as his face came into view, from the shadows of a nearby rock. "I intend to destroy you...ever since you joined that group of yours, they have become a little bit of a thorn in my side...nothing significant, of course, but..." He pulled his sword, grinning still. "I like playing the dictator."

"You're done destroying people," X threatened as he pointed his own Long Sword at his new enemy. Zero laughed.

"And I suppose you're going to stop me? Look at yourself, you're obsolete...on your own, here, you're not nearly a match for me." Zero took an attack stance, as X took a defensive one. "And I'll prove it to you, right now!"

Zero charged X and hit him broadly with a bodycheck, sending him flying backward and landing on the ground. Zero jumped forward, ready to thrust his sword into X's body, but X rolled out of the way just in time, swinging at Zero wildly, an easy parry. As Zero began to retaliate for the attack, X used an Area Steal to get out of the way, and back on his feet.

"You can't run like that for long!" Zero warned, as he pivoted and charged once again at X, this time with his sword out and ready to strike. Thinking quickly, X combined an Area Steal with a Step Sword, appearing in front of Zero much faster than anticipated; Zero dodged quickly, but X's swing still managed to barely scrape Zero's cheek. Zero stopped his strike, and stood still, touching his hand to his affected area. X was breathing heavy, as he turned toward Zero, who stood, contemplating, before he began to chuckle slightly.

"Five years..." he stated flatly. "It's been five years since any Navi has been able to land a hit on me...ever since that half-broken Navi who managed to put up some fight, at least..." He turned slowly, to look at a resilient and slightly tired X. Zero studied him carefully.

"You've seen the darkness too, haven't you?" Zero questioned. X slowly lost his defensive stance, confused. "Yes, I can see it in your eyes...you've seen true horror...you've used that dark power..." Zero started to walk forward. "This could be interesting..."

Zero suddenly dashed forward, and before X could react, he was in front of him, and Zero grabbed X's face with his hand. X screamed, as a burning-hot pain seared through his mind, and all his most horrid memories resurfaced at once...

----------

_The Navi lay in shambles, unable to speak from all the pain he had undergone; several limbs were missing, and the rest of his body was too broken and destroyed to be of any use. He looked back and up, desperately, and saw Zero slowly advancing on his family._

_"No!" the Navi cried out with energy he didn't know he had. Zero grinned without turning around._

_"So you still have some strength left," he muttered as he drew his glowing green sword, pointing it at the humans. "That's good...now you'll be able to see exactly what I do to your poor family!" The Navi looked on desperately, and could do nothing but gasp, those gasps turning to screams as Zero raised his sword and brought it down..._

Zero let go of X, sending him collapsing to the ground, panting hard and rubbing his head, which now pounded. Zero chuckled.

"That should do the trick," Zero said nonchalantly as he backed away from X slowly, grinning still before turning around to walk away, his Navi followers trailing behind him. "I'm going to enjoy watching you from now on," he warned, before teleporting away, followed by his worshippers. X simply stared, dazed and confused at what had just happened, as well as at all the dark memories and thoughts that were now swimming around in his head. He stood up slowly, shaking off his confusion, before hurriedly walking back to base. He was ready for this long night to end.


	4. Chapter 3: Extraction

Megaman Battle Network X

Chapter 3: Extraction

X tried to free himself from his restraints, to no avail, as his capturer grinned evilly, preparing a stun gun to force X into submission.

"Don't bother trying to free yourself, those wrist clamps are made out of the strongest metals available," the captor Navi cautioned. "You'll just end up hurting your body, which would damage the resale value...meeheehee."

"Where's James?" X demanded. X cared little for himself at this point, compared to how he worried about the young boy who had been captured alongside him. The captor laughed.

"He will have to remain undamaged...it would hardly be suitable if the last human in existence were to be battered and bruised upon arrival." X saw his captor significantly turning up the voltage on his stun gun. "You, however, I plan to dismantle and sell for parts...any cosmetic problems can be buffed out, so I get to have my way with you..." He turned back to X and finally turned on the stun gun, which glew so brightly it seemed to suck the rest of the light out of the room. X swallowed heavily; this was not going to be pleasant. The captor started cacking maniacally as he brought the electric charge to X's chest.

----------

X would not have suspected earlier that his day would turn out anything like this. Ever since his encounter with Zero, attacks by his followers were growing more frequent, and he found himself on the job more often, with the rest of Ezekiel's crew, never coming much closer to their goal.

Today had been a normal day like that; the alarm had gone off, and Ezekiel's group had gone to assist the Rebels of the Rebellion, yet another generic anti-Zero group that was starting to numb X's mind, as well as some other, less optimistic members of this group. As the convoy pulled up, plowing through many of the attackers, X had jumped out, brandishing a Long Sword, and dashed forward through the group. Perhaps out of increased confidence, perhaps out of a desire to end it quickly, X had begun to take the initiative when dealing with Zero's many minions. Soon, the number of attackers began to go down significantly, and everyone sensed they were nearing the end of the battle.

Suddenly, with no entrance anyone later could recall, there were dozens, maybe a hundred more Navis on the scene. X looked around in amazement at the new arrivals; it seemed like countless Navis, all cloaked, giving themselves the appearance of being entirely black in color. They all, in an almost unison movement, drew from their sheaths shoddy, makeshift weapons, possibly procured at a junkyard, and rushed forward to attack the rebels.

X turned quickly to face the assailants behind him, and started making short work of their weaponry; almost as suddenly as the Navis had appeared, however, they generated new weapons out of nowhere and went right back on the attack. Running about to avoid being cornered, X attacked group after group of these Navis, to no avail, as all their weapons continued to magically regenerate themselves. X could feel himself growing fatigued; he was just pondering how long he could keep it up when a powerful blow to the back of the head knocked him out cold.

----------

When he awoke, he found himself bound and blindfolded; from the motion of the ground, he could tell he was on a truck. Wriggling about helplessly, he soon found several of the ropes tying him to be loose; after enough straining, he managed to break the knots on several, allowing him to free himself. He ripped his blindfold off, and took a look at his surroundings. Aside from a few empty burlap bags in the corner, he seemed to be the only thing on board this truck; a quick look outside found him in a giant junkyard, where the sky was black as night. X looked at the clock on his arm panel; it was clearly not nighttime. He kept looking around, seeing an eternal sea of spare parts marked by the occasional lantern; he could not for the life of him tell whether or not there was any ground underneath them at all. He pushed the glass out of the window on the back, and started to climb out of the window, when he heard a faint whimpering from within the truck.

He stepped back and took a look around, and saw a couple of bags moving in the corner; he walked forward, following the whimpering sound, and rifled through bags until he found one that was wriggling. He carefully opened the top and took a look inside, where a small, shuddering Navi lay huddled at the bottom. Sensing the light, and the lack of tightness in the bag, he stopped sniffling and looked up at X, with a look of confusion and fear.

X stared for a minute before deciding to say something. "What is your make?"

"W-what?" the tiny Navi asked, confused.

"Your make," X said, more clearly. "What model of Navi are you? Where were you manufactured and when?"

The small boy shook his head, still trembling. "I-I'm not a N-Navi," he managed to stammer out. "I'm a-a boy..."

X's eyes widened. Humans were supposed to be extinct; could there be a small contingency left somewhere? X continued to study the small boy, who continued to whimper in fear; he looked as if he was about seven years old, and his too-small clothes were in tatters. He had dirt all over his face and arms, as if he had been living in improper conditions.

"How did you get here?" X inquired further. The boy continued to tremble.

"I-I was captured," the boy stammered out, still deathly scared of X. "I was playing with m-my Navi friends...and this t-truck came by, and grabbed me..." The boy looked away in fear, as X put down the burlap sack. He needed to try and find a way to get this boy home; as long as he was escaping from the truck, might as well help the boy out. The boy stood up slowly, timidly, and looked at X.

"Were you captured, too?" he said with a little more confidence, looking at X fully for the first time. "You don't look like them..."

X nodded. "I was battling them, and they knocked me out and tied me up. But we need to get out of here..." X took another look out the window; even in the distance, he couldn't see any place he recognized, but at least the junkyard seemed to end at some point. He kneeled down and motioned for the boy to come over, who did.

"We're going to jump out of the truck, get on my shoulders and hold on tight." The boy nodded slowly and obeyed, holding on very tight. X backed up a bit, then ran and dived headfirst out of the truck, righting himself before landing in the sea of junk.

The instant he landed, countless hands shot out of the junk and grabbed tight onto X's legs, attempting to pull him down. X stumbled momentarily, then stood up and armed his blaster, firing directly at the arms, who let go after several blasts, shrinking noiselessly into the junk. X started leaping from place to place, blasting each point where he landed before he got there and took off again. Eventually, he leaped his way over to a lantern, and balanced himself carefully on the top. He tapped a panel on his arm, bringing up a compass and GPS locator. Looking down at the panel, then repeatedly up at the horizon, he eventually hmmed to himself.

"I'm located in Iota sector, which looks like it's over that way," he mumbled as he looked off. "Where do you live, uh...what should I call you?"

"James," the boy replied as he started to search his pockets carefully, then a bit more frantically as a worried look crossed his face. "Oh no...I lost it!" Tears started to stream down his face as he panicked.

"Lost what?" X inquired, as James shook his head, frustrated.

"My mom said if I ever got lost, she wrote our address on some paper...it'd help me get home...but it's gone!"

X nodded slowly; so there were more humans around after all. "Well, I guess I'll have to take you with me for now...if you stick with me, you won't be hurt, understand? I'll help you find your parents." James nodded slowly, wiping his eyes, as X contemplated how he could possibly help James find his parents. With a hop, X set off again, in the direction of Iota sector.

----------

Fifteen minutes later, X's goal was in sight. He had been blasting and leaping for quite a distance now, and was glad to see the end of the junkyard approach; soon they would be home free, back at the base, where James would be safe for now.

"We're almost there," X reassured James, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion on X's head. X ignored the weight and kept working his way toward the edge. Five feet from the end, however, twenty black Navis, identical to the ones he saw at the scene of the attack, popped up silently in a circle around X. X stopped in surprise, and instantly the hands reached up once again to grab his feet, wrapping themselves tight around his legs and pulling down. X was so startled by this that he fell over forward, and James rolled off of X's shoulders, screaming briefly before numerous arms reached up and pulled him into the depths of the junkyard.

"No!" X yelled out, before several more hands grabbed his upper half and pulled down hard, until X could no longer see the surface. He struggled in vain to swim upward through the dead machines surrounding him, but the hands continued to pull before X felt nothing under his feet. He plummeted for a good minute before hitting the ground, where he was once again knocked unconscious.

----------

X woke up later, unsure of how much time had passed. He looked around; he was in an odd room, not unlike a doctor's office, but spare Navi parts adorned the walls all about. The lights were dim; the only significant amount of light came from a corner of the room, where a bright electric charge was working and illuminating the silhouette of a Navi. This Navi was much like the others before; all black, features nearly indistinguishble. X moved his head slightly to the side to identify the electric charge, and was not too surprised to see it was a stun gun. X tried to wriggle himself free.

"Don't bother trying to free yourself, those wrist clamps are made out of the strongest metals available. You'll just end up hurting your body, which would damage the resale value...meeheehee."

X tried to buy some more time, using his restraints to press buttons on his wrist, reconfiguring himself slightly. "Where's James?"

The Navi laughed as he turned up the voltage. "He will have to remain undamaged...it would hardly be suitable if the last human in existence were to be battered and bruised upon arrival. You, however, I plan to dismantle and sell for parts...any cosmetic problems can be buffed out, so I get to have my way with you..." He advanced on X, who was making some final adjustments quietly. With a cry of triumph, the Navi med the stun gun into X's chest. X screamed out in pain as the charge illuminated his body, and the Navi laughed maniacally, waiting for the moment when X would snap...

Suddenly, X's buster went off into his restraints with incredible force, destroying them completely. His captor jumped back in surprise, but not far enough to prevent a massive uppercut to his jaw, which left him cold. Finally free of the chair, X went to his arm, and reconfigured his buster back, so it would use internal energy instead of the exterior stun gun energy he had used to power it a second ago. Back to normal, he ran out of the room and tried listening for James's cries; he soon located them, and ran down the hall to the room where he was being held. Like X, he was bound to a chair with metal restraints, and X could hear James's captor threatening to torture answers out of him. X blasted the door down and, drawing his Long Sword, quickly slashed the unsuspecting enemy in half, who fell quickly to the ground.

"You're here!" James exclaimed happily as X went to a control panel, disabling James's restraints. X ran over and scooped the boy up, placing him on his back before taking off, once again, down the hall.

"I told you I'd take care of you, didn't I?" X said casually. "Now I just need to find a transporter around here..."

He ran down the hall, looking through room after room, trying to locate the one that would have a transporter device inside. Finally locating the silver, hollow tube, he blasted down another door, just as he heard an alarm start to go off. He ran inside the tube and set the location to which they'd be warped instantly; he had just finished inputting it when a large horde of Navis began to stream into the room. Thinking quickly, X smashed the input panel as the transporter began to hum, and, grinning, waved goodbye to the black Navis before being teleported away.

----------

Two minutes later, X and James appeared immediately outside of the base where Ezekiel's operations took place. Sighing a sigh of relief, he walked in, expecting a swarm of greeters who had been worried about him, which would be on par for this group. Instead, he found everyone staring at the screens. Only one technician noticed X walking in, and he motioned him over silently. X ran over and looked up at the monitors to see the enlarged face of Zero, who, upon seeing X's arrival, grinned back maliciously.


End file.
